SALT LAKE CITY — Teachers became the students Wednesday in a one-day financial literacy seminar designed to give teachers the tools they need to help students with an often neglected part of their education.
Fidelity Investments, in conjunction with the Utah Governor’s Office, the Jump$tart Teacher Training Alliance and the Utah Council of Economic Education presented lessons on financial literacy, said Kris Liacopoulos, regional manager for Fidelity Investments.
“It’s important to teach the basics of financial literacy and economic literacy so students can become productive members of society and be able to save, budget and think about the future,” said Karsten Walker, a math teacher at Mountain View High School in the Alpine School District. “It will help them make good decisions, avoid debt and think about being smart with their money.”
He said students who become more informed about money, credit and other important financial principles are able to build strong habits for themselves and could help others in their families become better money managers.
“There have been some really good outcomes from teaching financial literacy education,” Walker said.
Other teachers in attendance reiterated the need for continued education for students of all ages to help them become as knowledgeable as possible about money.
“I’m trying to develop a curriculum that will provide a variety of opportunities for the students to be more interactive in learning about their financial future," said Debbie Bates, teacher at East Hollywood High School, a charter school in West Valley City. She said receiving training from professional money managers offered a number of useful suggestions.
“It’s important for students to look at their spending patterns, look for security along the way and try to make wise financial choices,” Bates said.
Liacopoulos said the training provided for teachers was similar to what the company does for its clients and customers.
“Fidelity is keenly interested in helping Utah teachers increase their financial literacy, so they can pass that on to students,” she said. The daylong event is part of our Fidelity Cares programming, which she said supports efforts to ensure everyone — especially students in need — has the foundation to achieve financial success.
During the 2015-16 school year, the company conducted personal financial literacy trainings for educators in each of the company’s regions nationwide for more than 500 teachers, reaching more than 50,000 students, she said.
Gov. Gary Herbert spoke briefly at the event and noted that an October ranking by Champlain College’s Center for Financial Literacy listed Utah as one of five states to receive an “A” grade because its requirement of personal financial instruction as a condition for graduation.
“My goal as governor is for Utah’s education system to be No. 1 in the nation, and thanks to this innovative, public-private partnership we are already seeing encouraging results,” Herbert said. “Tens of thousands of Utah students learn critical concepts in financial literacy every day in Utah classrooms thanks to the work of so many wonderful teachers and their community partners.”
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